A method for estimating vegetation growth relative to an object of interest is disclosed. A target vegetation is identified from a second sensing dataset. A corresponding target vegetation is identified in a first sensing dataset, the first sensing dataset collected at a time before the second sensing dataset. A first statistic is attributed to the corresponding target vegetation based on a distance of one or more points of the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest. A second statistic is attributed to the target vegetation based on a distance of one or more points of the target vegetation in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest. An encroachment rate is determined from a comparison of the first statistic and the second statistic.
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1. A method for estimating vegetation growth relative to an object of interest, comprising:
identifying a target vegetation from a second sensing dataset by identifying a target vegetation geometry containing data points of the target vegetation;
identifying a corresponding target vegetation in a first sensing dataset by employing a corresponding target vegetation geometry containing data points of the corresponding target vegetation, the first sensing dataset collected at a time before the second sensing dataset;
attributing a first statistic to the corresponding target vegetation based on a distance of one or more data points within the corresponding target vegetation geometry in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest;
attributing a second statistic to the target vegetation based on a distance of one or more data points within the target vegetation geometry in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest; and
determining an encroachment rate at which the target vegetation is growing towards the object of interest from a comparison of the first statistic and the second statistic.
23. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, having stored thereon instructions for estimating vegetation growth relative to an object of interest, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
provide a first sensing dataset;
provide a second sensing dataset;
identify a target vegetation from the second sensing dataset by identifying a target vegetation geometry containing data points of the target vegetation;
identify a corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset by employing a corresponding target vegetation geometry containing data points of the corresponding target vegetation, the first sensing dataset collected at a time before the second sensing dataset;
attribute a first statistic to the corresponding target vegetation based on a distance of one or more data points within the corresponding target vegetation geometry in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest;
attribute a second statistic to the target vegetation based on a distance of one or more data points within the target vegetation geometry in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest; and
determine an encroachment rate at which the target vegetation is growing towards the object of interest from a comparison of the first statistic and the second statistic.
43. A system for estimating vegetation growth relative to an object of interest, comprising:
a) a processor configured to:
1) identify a target vegetation from a second sensing dataset by identifying a target vegetation geometry containing data points of the target vegetation;
2) identify a corresponding target vegetation in a first sensing dataset by employing a corresponding target vegetation geometry containing data points of the corresponding target vegetation, the first sensing dataset collected at a time before the second sensing dataset;
3) attribute a first statistic to the corresponding target vegetation based on a distance of one or more data points within the corresponding target vegetation geometry in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest;
4) attribute a second statistic to the target vegetation based on a distance of one or more data points within the target vegetation geometry in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest; and
5) determine an encroachment rate at which the target vegetation is growing towards the object of interest from a comparison of the first statistic and the second statistic;
b) a data input coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with the first and second sensing datasets; and
c) a user interface coupled to either the processor or the data input.
2. The method of
3. The method of
4. The method of
gathering the first sensing dataset; and
gathering the second sensing dataset.
5. The method of
gathering the first sensing dataset further comprises aerially gathering the first sensing dataset; and
gathering the second sensing dataset further comprises aerially gathering the second sensing dataset.
6. The method of
7. The method of
identifying the target vegetation from the second sensing dataset comprises identifying a vegetation polygon from the second sensing dataset that contains said data points of the target vegetation in the second sensing dataset; and
identifying the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset comprises using the vegetation polygon from the second sensing dataset to select one or more data points of the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset.
8. The method of
identifying the target vegetation from the second sensing dataset comprises identifying a vegetation polygon from the second sensing dataset that contains said data points of the target vegetation in the second sensing dataset; and
identifying the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset comprises identifying another vegetation polygon from the first sensing dataset that contains said data points of the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset.
9. The method of
the first statistic attributed to the corresponding target vegetation based on the distance of the one or more data points within the corresponding target vegetation geometry in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest comprises a minimum distance selected from the distance of the one or more data points within the corresponding target vegetation geometry in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest; and
the second statistic attributed to the target vegetation based on the distance of the one or more data points within the target vegetation geometry in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest comprises a minimum distance selected from the distance of the one or more data points within the target vegetation geometry in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest.
10. The method of
the first statistic attributed to the corresponding target vegetation based on the distance of one or more data points within the corresponding target vegetation geometry in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest comprises a mean distance to the object of interest determined from the distance of a plurality of the one or more data points within the corresponding target vegetation geometry in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest; and
the second statistic attributed to the target vegetation based on the distance of one or more data points within the target vegetation geometry in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest comprises a mean distance to the object of interest determined from the distance of a plurality of the one or more data points within the target vegetation geometry in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest.
11. The method of
12. The method of
13. The method of
taking a difference between the second statistic and the first statistic, and dividing that difference by an amount expressed by:
(100%−P1)+100%*n+P2 where:
P1 comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed when the first sensing dataset was collected;
P2 comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed when the second sensing dataset was collected; and
n comprises a number of full growth seasons between the collection of the first sensing dataset and the second sensing dataset.
14. The method of
determining a clearance distance between the target vegetation and the object of interest at a future time, the clearance expressed by:
DT=D2+Ga*(100%−P2+100%*m+PT)* where:
DT comprises the clearance distance between the target vegetation and the object of interest at the future time;
D2 comprises the second statistic;
Ga comprises the encroachment rate;
P2 comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed when the second sensing dataset was collected;
m comprises a number of full growth seasons between the collection of the second sensing dataset and the future time; and
PT comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed at the future time.
15. The method of
a power line;
a power line safety buffer zone;
a railroad track;
a railroad track safety buffer zone;
a railroad overhead conductor;
a railroad overhead conductor safety buffer zone;
a phone line;
a phone line safety buffer zone;
a communication cable;
a communication cable safety buffer zone;
a road;
a highway surface; and
a road sign visibility sector;
a traffic sign visibility sector;
a traffic light visibility sector; and
a billboard or corporate sign visibility sector.
16. The method of
17. The method of
18. The method of
19. The method of
20. The method of
if it is estimated that the future vegetation growth of the target vegetation relative to the object of interest will result in the target vegetation intersecting with the object of interest at the future time, then taking an action selected from the group consisting of:
notifying a user of the estimated future intersection with the object of interest at the future time;
attributing a vegetation database with an interaction table record that describes an estimated future interaction between the target vegetation and the object of interest;
flagging the target vegetation on a map as needing service due to estimated future intersection with the object of interest; and
generating a work order to have the target vegetation mitigated.
21. The method of
22. The method of
determining an encroachment direction vector;
determining a vector angle β for the encroachment direction vector;
determining a local threshold vector;
determining a local threshold angle Φ for the local threshold vector;
wherein:
if it is determined that the vector angle is greater than the local threshold angle, then recommending that the target vegetation needs mowing or cutting to mitigate; and
if it is determined that the vector angle is less than the local threshold angle, then recommending that the target vegetation needs side trimming or tree removal to mitigate.
24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
wherein the instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to identify the target vegetation from the second sensing dataset further comprise instructions to identify a vegetation polygon from the second sensing dataset that contains said data points of the target vegetation in the second sensing dataset; and
wherein the instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to identify the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset further comprise instructions to identify using the vegetation polygon from the second sensing dataset to select one or more data points of the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset.
28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
wherein the instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to identify the target vegetation from the second sensing dataset further comprise instructions to identify a vegetation polygon from the second sensing dataset that contains said data points of the target vegetation in the second sensing dataset; and
wherein instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to identify the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset further comprise instructions to identify another vegetation polygon from the first sensing dataset that contains said data points of the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset.
29. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
the first statistic attributed to the corresponding target vegetation based on the distance of the one or more data points within the corresponding target vegetation geometry in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest comprises a minimum distance selected from the distance of the one or more data points within the corresponding target vegetation geometry in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest; and
the second statistic attributed to the target vegetation based on the distance of the one or more data points within the target vegetation geometry in the second sensing dataset relative to the object or interest comprises a minimum distance selected from the distance of the one or more data points within the target vegetation geometry in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest.
30. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
the first statistic attributed to the corresponding target vegetation based on the distance of one or more data points within the corresponding target vegetation geometry in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest comprises a mean distance to the object of interest determined from the distance of a plurality of the one or more data points within the corresponding target vegetation geometry in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest; and
the second statistic attributed to the target vegetation based on the distance of one or more data points within the target vegetation geometry in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest comprises a mean distance to the object of interest determined from the distance of a plurality of the one or more data points within the target vegetation geometry in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest.
31. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
32. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
33. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
take a difference between the second statistic and the first statistic, and divide that difference by an amount expressed by:
(100%−P1)+100%*n+P2 where:
P1 comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed when the first sensing dataset was collected;
P2 comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed when the second sensing dataset was collected; and
n comprises a number of full growth seasons between the collection of the first sensing dataset and the second sensing dataset.
34. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
determine a clearance distance between the target vegetation and the object of interest at a future time, the clearance expressed by:
DT−D2+Ga*(100%−P2+100%*m+PT) where:
DT comprises the clearance distance between the target vegetation and the object of interest at the future time;
D2 comprises the second statistic;
Ga comprises the encroachment rate;
P2 comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed when the second sensing dataset was collected;
m comprises a number of full growth seasons between the collection of the second sensing dataset and the future time; and
PT comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed at the future time.
35. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
a power line;
a power line safety buffer zone;
a railroad track;
a railroad track safety buffer zone;
a railroad overhead conductor;
a railroad overhead conductor safely buffer zone;
a phone line;
a phone line safety buffer zone;
a communication cable;
a communication cable safely buffer zone;
a road;
a highway surface;
a road sign visibility sector;
a traffic sign visibility sector;
a traffic light visibility sector; and
a billboard or corporate sign visibility sector.
36. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
37. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
38. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
39. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
40. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
instructions, if it is estimated that the future vegetation growth of the target vegetation relative to the object of interest will result in the target vegetation intersecting with the object of interest at the future time, to take an action selected from the group consisting of:
notifying a user of the estimated future intersection with the object of interest at the future time;
attributing a tree database with an interaction table record that describes an estimated future interaction between the target tree and the object of interest;
flagging the target tree on a map as needing service due to estimated future intersection with the object of interest; and
generating a work order to have the target tree mitigated.
41. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
test a target vegetation encroachment direction to recommend a type of mitigation.
42. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of
determine an encroachment direction vector;
determine a vector angle β for the encroachment direction vector;
determine a local threshold vector;
determine a local threshold angle Φ for the local threshold vector;
wherein:
if it is determined that the vector angle is greater than the local threshold angle, then recommend that the target vegetation needs mowing or cutting or another undergrowth mitigation practice to mitigate; and
if it is determined that the vector angle is less than the local threshold angle, then recommend that the target vegetation needs side trimming or tree removal or another side growth mitigation practice to mitigate.
46. The system of
47. The system of
48. The system of
49. The system of
50. The system of
51. The system of
52. The system of
53. The system of
the processor configuration to identify the target vegetation from the second sensing dataset comprises instructions to identify a vegetation polygon from the second sensing dataset that contains said data points of the target vegetation in the second sensing dataset; and
the processor configuration to identify the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset comprises instructions to use the vegetation polygon from the second sensing dataset to select one or more data points of the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset.
54. The system of
the processor configuration to identify the target vegetation from the second sensing dataset comprises instructions to identify a vegetation polygon from the second sensing dataset that contains said one or more data points of the target vegetation in the second sensing dataset; and
the processor configuration to identify the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset comprises instructions to identify another vegetation polygon from the first sensing dataset that comprises data points of the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset.
55. The system of
the first statistic attributed to the corresponding target vegetation based on the distance of the one or more data points within the corresponding target vegetation geometry in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest comprises a minimum distance selected from the distance of the one or more data points within the corresponding target vegetation geometry in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest; and
the second statistic attributed to the target vegetation based on the distance of the one or more data points within the target vegetation geometry in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest comprises a minimum distance selected from the distance of the one or more data points within the target vegetation geometry in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest.
56. The system of
the first statistic, attributed to the corresponding target vegetation based on the distance of one or more data points within the corresponding target vegetation geometry in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest comprises a mean distance to the object of interest determined from the distance of a plurality of the one or more data points within the corresponding target vegetation geometry in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest; and
the second statistic attributed to the target vegetation based on the distance of one or more data points within the target vegetation geometry in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest comprises a mean distance to the object of interest determined from the distance a plurality of the one or more data points within the target vegetation geometry in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest.
57. The system of
58. The system of
59. The system of
take a difference between the second statistic and the first statistic, and divide that difference by an amount expressed by:
(100%−P1)+100%*n+P2 where:
P1 comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed when the first sensing dataset was collected;
P2 comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed when the second sensing dataset was collected; and
n comprises a number of full growth seasons between the collection of the first sensing dataset and the second sensing dataset.
60. The system of
determine a clearance distance between the target vegetation and the object of interest at a future time, the clearance expressed by:
DT−D2+Ga*(100%−P2+100%*m+PT) where:
DT comprises the clearance distance between the target vegetation and the object of interest at the future time:
D2 comprises the second statistic;
Ga comprises the encroachment rate;
P2 comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed when the second sensing dataset was collected;
m comprises a number of full growth seasons between the collection of the second sensing dataset and the future time; and
PT comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed at the future time.
61. The system of
a power line;
a power line safety buffer zone;
a railroad track;
a railroad track safety buffer zone;
a railroad overhead conductor;
a railroad overhead conductor safety buffer zone;
a phone line;
a phone line safety buffer zone;
a communication cable;
a communication cable safety buffer zone;
a road;
a highway surface; and
a road sign visibility sector;
a traffic sign visibility sector;
a traffic light visibility sector; and
a billboard or corporate sign visibility sector.
62. The system of
63. The system of
64. The system of
65. The system of
66. The system of
notifying a user of the estimated future intersection with the object of interest at the future time;
attributing a tree database with an interaction table record that describes an estimated future interaction between the target tree and the object of interest;
flagging the target tree on a map as needing service due to estimated future intersection with the object of interest; and
generating a work order to have the target tree mitigated.
67. The system of
test a target vegetation encroachment direction to recommend a type of mitigation.
68. The system of
determine an encroachment direction vector;
determine a vector angle for the encroachment direction vector;
determine a local threshold vector;
determine a local threshold angle for the local threshold vector;
wherein:
if it is determined that the vector angle is greater than the local threshold angle, then recommend that the target vegetation needs mowing or cutting to mitigate; and
if it is determined that the vector angle is less than the local threshold angle, then recommend that the target vegetation needs side trimming or tree removal to mitigate.
69. The method for estimating vegetation growth relative to an object of interest of
a) identifying a target vegetation from an aerially gathered three-dimensional second sensing dataset selected from the group consisting of:
1) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data;
2) laser scanning data;
3) radar data;
4) synthetic aperture radar data; and
5) data from a sensor based on scanning distance-measurement and providing 3D point clouds;
b) identifying a corresponding target vegetation (34) from an aerially gathered three-dimensional first sensing dataset selected from the group consisting of:
1) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data;
2) laser scanning data;
3) radar data;
4) synthetic aperture radar data; and
5) data from a sensor based on scanning distance-measurement and providing 3D point clouds;
c) wherein:
1) the first sensing dataset is gathered at a time before the second sensing dataset;
2) identifying the target vegetation from the second sensing dataset comprises identifying a vegetation polygon from the second sensing dataset that contains one or more data points of the target vegetation in the second sensing dataset; and
3) identifying the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset comprises using the vegetation polygon from the second sensing dataset to select one or more data points of the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset;
d) attributing a first statistic to the corresponding target vegetation based on a distance or one or more data points or the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest, wherein the first statistic attributed to the corresponding target vegetation based on the distance of the one or more data points of the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest comprises a minimum distance determined from the distance of the one or more data points of the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest;
e) attributing a second statistic to the target vegetation based on a distance of one or more data points within the vegetation polygon in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest, wherein the second statistic attributed to the target vegetation based on the distance of the one or more data points within the vegetation polygon in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest comprises a minimum distance determined from the distance of the one or more data points within the vegetation polygon in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest;
f) determining an encroachment rate by:
1) taking a difference between the second statistic and the first statistic, and dividing that difference by an amount expressed by:
(100%−P1)+100%*n+P2 where:
2) P1 comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed when the first sensing dataset was collected;
3) P2 comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed when the second sensing dataset was collected; and
4) n comprises a number of full growth seasons between the collection of the first sensing dataset and the second sensing dataset;
g) estimating future vegetation growth relative to the object of interest by applying the encroachment rate over a future time period by determining a clearance distance between the target vegetation and the object of interest at a future time, the clearance expressed by:
1) DT−D2+Ga*(100%−P2+100%*m+PT) where:
2) DT comprises the clearance distance between the target vegetation and the object of interest at the future time;
3) D2 comprises the second statistic;
4) Ga comprises the encroachment rate;
5) P2 comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed when the second sensing dataset was collected;
6) m comprises a number of full growth seasons between the collection of the second sensing dataset and the future time; and
7) PT comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed at the future time;
h) repeating the above actions for one or more additional target vegetation;
i) displaying the future vegetation growth relative to the object of interest for the target vegetation and the one or more additional target vegetation in conjunction with at least a portion of the second sensing dataset which includes the target vegetation and the one or more additional target vegetation;
j) if it is estimated that the future vegetation growth of the target vegetation to the object of interest will result in the target tree intersecting with the object of interest at the future time, then taking an action selected front the group consisting of:
1) notifying a user of the estimated future intersection with the object of interest at the future time;
2) attributing a tree database with an interaction table record that describes an estimated future interaction between the target tree and the object of interest;
3) flagging the target tree on a map as needing service due to estimated future intersection with the object of interest; and
4) generating a work order to have the target tree mitigated; and
k) wherein the object of interest is selected from the group consisting of:
1) a power line;
2) a power line safety buffer zone;
3) a railroad track;
4) a railroad track safety buffer zone;
5) a railroad overhead conductor;
6) a railroad overhead conductor safety buffer zone;
7) a phone line;
8) a phone line safety buffer zone;
9) a communication cable;
10) a communication cable safety buffer zone;
11) a road;
12) a highway surface; and
13) a road sign visibility sector;
a traffic sign visibility sector;
a traffic light visibility sector; and
a billboard or corporate sign visibility sector.
70. The method of
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The claimed invention generally relates to methods and systems for determining information about trees from sensing data, such as LiDAR data. More specifically, the claimed invention relates to a method and system for estimating vegetation growth in relation to other objects.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
For many utilities, trees are the number-one cause of all unplanned distribution outages. Most damage to electric utility systems during storms is caused by a falling tree or branch that takes power lines out of service. In order to help reduce the frequency of tree damage to utility systems, many utilities implement vegetation management programs as a preventative measure. North American utilities spend $7 billion to $10 billion annually on vegetation management in an effort to prevent service interruptions and safety hazards associated with trees contacting conductors.
Traditionally, vegetation management programs have relied on regular surveying and pruning by arborist teams to help control vegetation around utility systems, but the sheer number of utility lines covering vast distances makes it impractical, in many cases, to send survey teams on the ground. As a result, many utility companies have turned in the past to aerial reconnaissance techniques to provide photographic imagery of their utility systems which can be examined for possible vegetation growth issues. While aerial pictures or helicopter-based line patrol can be examined for vegetation which has grown into the right-of-way for a utility, no satisfactory method or system currently exists which is able to predict vegetation issues before they exist based on estimating vegetation growth relative to an object of interest. While utility companies have traditionally determined vegetation and tree growth as growth of height, stem diameter, or volume, and while these growth rates have been used to predict growth of vegetation which is near to utility right-of-ways, such estimates do not provide growth in relation to the utility (such as a power line), or its clearance space pattern. Unfortunately, growth relative to line clearance is not well defined by vegetation height, diameter, or volume. This lack of knowledge inhibits timely and efficient decision making power concerning the type of mitigation required i.e. mowing, cutting, trimming or tree removal. Consequently, it is often necessary for field personnel to visit the site in person in order to decide the type of maintenance needed to resolve the encroachment. The cost of mitigation is strongly dependant on the type of maintenance required. Ineffective planning due to a lack in prior knowledge concerning the type of maintenance wastes resources and causes more work to be done than is necessary. Therefore, it would be desirable to have an economical, reliable, and easy to use method and system for determining vegetation growth relative to an object of interest, such as a power line conductor, and to use this growth to predict a clearance need in the future in order to more accurately predict vegetation encroachment issues for the utility.
A method for estimating vegetation growth relative to an object of interest is disclosed. A target vegetation is identified from a second sensing dataset. A corresponding target vegetation is identified in a first sensing dataset, the first sensing dataset collected at a time before the second sensing dataset. A first statistic is attributed to the corresponding target vegetation based on a distance of one or more points of the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest. A second statistic is attributed to the target vegetation based on a distance of one or more points of the target vegetation in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest. An encroachment rate is determined from a comparison of the first statistic and the second statistic.
A computer readable storage medium is also disclosed. The computer readable storage medium has instructions stored thereon for estimating vegetation growth relative to an object of interest. The instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: 1) provide a first sensing dataset; 2) provide a second sensing dataset; 3) identify a target vegetation from the second sensing dataset; 4) identify a corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset, the first sensing dataset collected at a time before the second sensing dataset; 5) attribute a first statistic to the corresponding target vegetation based on a distance of one or more points of the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest; 6) attribute a second statistic to the target vegetation based on a distance of one or more points of the target vegetation in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest; and 7) determine an encroachment rate from a comparison of the first statistic and the second statistic.
A system for estimating vegetation growth relative to an object of interest is also disclosed. The system has a processor configured to: 1) identify a target vegetation from a second sensing dataset; 2) identify a corresponding target vegetation in a first sensing dataset, the first sensing dataset collected at a time before the second sensing dataset; 3) attribute a first statistic to the corresponding target vegetation based on a distance of one or more points of the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset relative to the object of interest; 4) attribute a second statistic to the target vegetation based on a distance of one or more points of the target vegetation in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest; and 5) determine an encroachment rate from a comparison of the first statistic and the second statistic. The system also has a data input coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with the first and second sensing datasets. The system further has a user interface coupled to either the processor or the data input.
It will be appreciated that for purposes of clarity and where deemed appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated in the figures to indicate corresponding features, and that the various elements in the drawings have not necessarily been drawn to scale in order to better show the features.
Several different growth rates will be referred-to herein. The term “relative growth rate” refers to the rate at which a target vegetation is growing towards an object of interest. The term “encroachment rate” may be used interchangeably with the term “relative growth rate”. The term “relative growth” (also referred to as “encroachment growth”) may be used, and it is growth causing a change of minimum distance in relation between two objects. The term “annual growth rate” means a growth per year. The annual growth rate can be determined for height, relative growth, or any other growth. The term “clearance” means the smallest distance between an object of interest and the vegetation (or other object) in question.
In some situations, the first sensing dataset and/or the second sensing dataset may include one or more data points which are not vegetation returns. As just a few examples, a sensing dataset may include ground returns, water returns, and/or power line conductor returns. Therefore, in some embodiments, it may optionally be desirable to classify 29 the first and/or second sensing datasets to identify the vegetation returns. Depending on the classification process, the vegetation returns may be flagged as vegetation returns so that only they may be utilized by the following steps, or the non-vegetation returns may be discarded. When referring to the first sensing dataset or the second sensing dataset in the following text, therefore, it is assumed that only vegetation returns are being used in the first and second sensing datasets, either because 1) the gathered or stored sensing dataset already only had vegetation returns, 2) the gathered or stored sensing dataset was classified to flag only the vegetation returns for use, or 3) the gathered or stored sensing dataset was classified to remove non-vegetation returns.
A target vegetation is identified 30 from the second sensing dataset. In some embodiments, the target vegetation may be identified 30 by identifying 32 a vegetation polygon from the second sensing dataset that includes one or more points of the target vegetation in the second sensing dataset. The identification of target vegetation through polygon formation is well-understood by those skilled in the art. As just one example, one or more polygons may be formed from the vegetation returns of the second dataset by 1) identifying the altitude from ground level for each vegetation return; 2) laying a horizontal spatially referenced raster mesh over the vegetation returns; 3) reading the highest, average, or other statistical altitude from ground inside each cell in the raster; 4) for the raster cells with no valid returns in vegetation class, giving a 0 value; 5) the resulting raster is called a vegetation height raster; 6) applying a growth-constrained seeded region growing algorithm or its more sophisticated derivative on the vegetation height raster to result in one or more polygons.
The identified target vegetation can be considered to fall within a vegetation data container which does not necessarily have to be a polygon. The vegetation data container may be a polygon, a single pixel or a group of pixels, a grid cell or other form of spatial data entities formed for the analysis. These spatial entities, which include the vegetation to be analyzed, may be referred to as target vegetation geometries.
The corresponding target vegetation is identified 34 from the first sensing dataset. The vegetation data container or target vegetation geometry used to identify the target vegetation from the second sensing dataset may be superimposed on the first sensing dataset to identify 34 the corresponding target vegetation from the first sensing dataset. As just one example, if a vegetation polygon has been identified from the second sensing dataset, then the vegetation polygon from the second sensing dataset may be used 36 to select one or more points of the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset.
A first statistic is attributed 38 to the corresponding target vegetation based on a distance of one or more points of the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset relative to an object of interest. The object of interest may be a variety of objects, such as, but not limited to a power line, a railroad track, a railroad overhead conductor, a phone line, road, a communication cable, highway surface, and a road sign visibility sector. The object of interest may also include a safety buffer zone around an object. One or more datapoints in the first sensing dataset will belong to the corresponding target vegetation, as identified, for example by using the vegetation polygon in step 36 above. In some embodiments, the first statistic attributed 38 to the corresponding target vegetation may be determined by calculating the distance from each of the one or more datapoints that have been identified as belonging to the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset to the object of interest. The first statistic attributed 38 to the corresponding target vegetation may then be based on these calculated distances from each of the identified first sensing dataset points to the object of interest. For example, in some embodiments, the first statistic attributed 38 to the corresponding target vegetation may be the minimum distance of the set of calculated distances from each of the identified first sensing dataset points to the object of interest. In other embodiments, the first statistic attributed to the corresponding target vegetation may be the mean of the N closest identified first sensing dataset points to the object of interest. In other embodiments, rather than calculating the distance from each of the one or more datapoints that have been identified as belonging to the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset, the distance from all of the vegetation datapoints in the first sensing dataset may be calculated first, and then the calculations identified as belonging to the corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset can be used to determine the first statistic attributed 38 to the corresponding target vegetation.
In some embodiments, it may be desirable to calibrate the first and second sensing datasets because the sensor type or collection parameters have changed between the gathering of the first and the second datasets. Sensor calibration can be done by collecting a sample piece of vegetation with both sensors/parameters at the same time and comparing the results. This can be used in some embodiments to yield a mapping between the vegetation readings in the two sensor types.
A second statistic is attributed 40 to the target vegetation based on a distance of one or more points of the target vegetation in the second sensing dataset relative to the object of interest. One or more datapoints in the second sensing dataset will belong to the target vegetation, as identified, for example by identification of the vegetation polygon in step 32 above. In some embodiments, the second statistic attributed 40 to the target vegetation may be determined by calculating the distance from each of the one or more datapoints that have been identified as belonging to the target vegetation in the second sensing dataset to the object of interest. The second statistic attributed 40 to the target vegetation may then be based on these calculated distances from each of the identified second sensing dataset points to the object of interest. For example, in some embodiments, the second statistic attributed 40 to the target vegetation may be the minimum distance of the set of calculated distances from each of the identified second sensing dataset points to the object of interest. In other embodiments, the second statistic attributed to the target vegetation may be the mean of the N closest identified second sensing dataset points to the object of interest. In other embodiments, rather than calculating the distance from each of the one or more datapoints that have been identified as belonging to the target vegetation in the second sensing dataset, the distance from all of the vegetation datapoints in the second sensing dataset may be calculated first, and then the calculations identified as belonging to the target vegetation in the second sensing dataset can be used to determine the second statistic attributed 40 to the target vegetation.
Continuing the method in
Degree day curves plot the percentage of growth (height) for an entire growth season for a particular tree species or type of tree in a particular area or a climate zone as a function of the number of degree days. The number of degree days achieved during one growth season varies from season to season and depending on the geographic location. A local average curve between years should be used unless a time-specific curve is available for the growth season in question. The curve can be species-specific, uniform for all species or for a group of species, like hardwoods, more specific curves giving more precise measurements. Examples of degree day curves will be illustrated later with respect to a calculation example. As another example, some embodiments may determine 42 the encroachment rate, Ga, from the comparison of the first statistic and the second statistic by using the following formula: taking the difference between the second statistic and the first statistic and dividing that difference by an amount expressed by:
where:
Ga comprises an annual encroachment rate of the target vegetation;
D2 comprises the second statistic attributed to the target vegetation;
D1 comprises the first statistic attributed to the target vegetation;
P1 comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed when the first sensing dataset was collected;
P2 comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed when the second sensing dataset was collected; and
n comprises a number of full growth seasons between the collection of the first sensing dataset and the second sensing dataset. As used in the formula herein, a “full growth season” is a growth season that occurred between the LiDAR datasets as whole, from spring to fall. Partial growth seasons are ones that were cut by the LiDAR collections.
In some embodiments, the encroachment rate may be calibrated based on field-measured growth data that seeks to validate and adjust the encroachment rate determined from the first and second sensing datasets.
Future vegetation growth relative to the object of interest may then by estimated 44 by applying the encroachment rate over a future time period. For example, in some embodiments, the future growth relative to the object of interest may be used to determine a clearance distance between the target vegetation and the object of interest at a future time. Such estimated or predicted clearance may be expressed by:
DT=D2+Ga*(100%−P2+100%*m+PT) (2)
where:
DT comprises the clearance distance between the target vegetation and the object of interest at the future time;
D2 comprises the second statistic;
Ga comprises the encroachment rate;
P2 comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed when the second sensing dataset was collected;
m comprises a number of full growth seasons between the collection of the second sensing dataset and the future time. As used in the formula herein, a “full growth season” is a growth season that occurred between the LiDAR datasets as whole, from spring to fall. Partial growth seasons are ones that were cut by the LiDAR collections; and
PT comprises a percentage of growth season degree days passed at the future time.
A decision 46 can be made whether or not to repeat the process for one or more additional target trees. If the process is to be repeated 48 for one or more additional target trees, the process can be repeated starting with the identification of additional target vegetation at steps 32 and 36. Alternatively, the process does not need to be repeated 50 for one or more additional target trees. In still other embodiments, the actions 38-42 and optionally 44 may be run as a batch process. For example, multiple instances of a target vegetation may be identified from the second sensing dataset in a single step. Then, multiple corresponding instances of a corresponding target vegetation may be identified from the first sensing dataset. Instead of attributing a first and second statistic for one instance of a target vegetation and corresponding target vegetation pair, multiple pairs may be processed as part of a batch to obtain multiple pairs of first and second statistics. Thus, in such a batch implementation, an encroachment rate may be determined for each of the multiple target vegetation identified, without the need to repeat the process because of the batch handling.
Depending on the embodiment, some optional actions may be included with the methods described above. Optionally, the future vegetation growth relative to the object of interest may be displayed 52 for the target vegetation and the one or more additional target vegetation in conjunction with at least a portion of the second sensing dataset which includes the target vegetation and the one or more additional target vegetation. An embodiment of such a display will be discussed with regard to
Continuing the method in
In order to perform the embodied method, first and second sensing datasets are gathered. In this example, the sensing datasets may be LiDAR datasets which have been gathered at different times, for example, approximately one growth season apart. For simplicity, the first sensing dataset in this example will be referred to as LiDAR1 and the second sensing dataset will be referred to as LiDAR2. The LiDAR1 and LiDAR2 may be classified to separate vegetation, ground and other returns from each other. Commercial software products exist to perform this kind of classification, as schematically illustrated in the cross-sectional LiDAR data view of
In this example, vegetation growth is being estimated relative to the conductors 68 (the object of interest in this example). The LiDAR conductor data 68 may be used to represent the object of interest (in this example), or the LiDAR conductor data may optionally be used to build a three-dimensional (3D) model of the conductor to be analyzed. Commercial software products exist to make such models of objects of interest and are known to those skilled in the art. The resulting model can be, for example, a 3D vector-model. An existing 3D-model, made from other data sources, like field survey, can be used as well. Scenario analysis of the object of interest (in this example, a conductor) can be done, for example, to simulate its possible locations in different sag/sway scenarios. Scenario analysis is not necessary for the method to work, but may improve the accuracy of the estimated vegetation growth relative to the object of interest. Sag/sway scenarios are sometimes referred to as “weather cases,” and such sag/sway scenarios can be modeled in commercial software packages.
Up to this point in the example, target vegetation has been identified from the second sensing dataset (LiDAR2) using polygonization to identify one or more vegetation polygons. The corresponding target vegetation may be identified from the first sensing dataset, for example by using the one or more vegetation polygons from the second sensing dataset to select the corresponding points of one or more corresponding target vegetation in the first sensing dataset. While in some embodiments the one or more vegetation polygons may be used to reduce the number of distance calculations which need to be done on the sensing datasets by only carrying out distance calculations for vegetation returns within the one or more vegetation polygons, in this embodiment, the distance calculations are carried out for all vegetation returns to the object of interest. Then, the one or more vegetation polygons are used to select which of the distance calculations belong to the target vegetation for the purpose of attributing statistics to the target vegetation.
The dataset points from LiDAR1, that were attributed with the distance to the object, (the large LiDAR datapoints) within a vegetation polygon are analyzed to attribute a first statistic to the target vegetation 76. In this example, the first statistic is a closest distance (illustrated by arrow 78) from the LiDAR1 target vegetation 76 to the object of interest 70. The dataset points from LiDAR2 (the small LiDAR datapoints) within its polygon are analyzed in a similar manner to attribute a second statistic to the target vegetation 76. In this example, the second statistic is a closest distance (illustrated by arrow 80) from the LiDAR2 target vegetation 76 to the object of interest 70. It should be noted that due to growth, the same branch of the target vegetation in LiDAR1 and LiDAR2 may or may not be the one providing smallest distance to the object of interest 70.
An encroachment rate may be determined from a comparison of the first statistic and the second statistic. For the sake of this example, assume that the LiDAR 1 and LiDAR2 datasets were collected during consecutive years, near the middle of each year's growth season. As illustrated in the example degree day curve of
Therefore, the encroachment rate may be determined from a comparison of the first and second statistics, for example, by using equation (1) discussed previously:
Since the second statistic D2=6.4 feet; the first statistic D1=9.5 feet; the percentage of growth season degree days passed when LiDAR1 was collected P1=80%; the percentage of growth degree days passed when LiDAR2 was collected P2=88%; and the number of full growth seasons between collection of LiDAR1 and LiDAR2 is n=0, we can determine an annual encroachment rate Ga:
Finally, we can estimate future vegetation growth relative to an object of interest, in this case, the conductor. For example, if we wanted to know how close the target vegetation would be to the conductor one full growth season and 30 degree days (dd) later, we can use equation (2) discussed previously:
DT=D2+Ga*(100%−P2+100%*m+PT) (2)
Since the second statistic D2=6.4 feet; the annual encroachment rate Ga=−2.87 feet/growthyear; the percentage of growth season degree days passed P2 when LiDAR2 was collected=88%; the number of full growth seasons m between collection of LiDAR2 and the future time=1; and the percentage of growth season degree days PT passed at the future time=72% (looking at the growth curve in
DT=6.4 ft+(−2.87 ft)*(100%−88%+100%*1+72%)=3.13 feet
Embodiments of the method for estimating vegetation growth relative to an object of interest may be applied to multiple target vegetation. The results of the vegetation growth estimations may be displayed to a user in a variety of ways, for example via a graphical user interface (GUI).
A data input 94 is coupled to the processor 90 and configured to provide the processor 90 with at least a first sensing dataset and a second sensing dataset. A sensing data capture device 96 may optionally be coupled to the data input 94 to enable the live capture of a first or second sensing dataset. Examples of sensing data capture devices include, but are not limited to full-waveform, multiple-return or first and last pulse-recording LiDAR sensors. Similarly, a database 98 may optionally be coupled to the data input 94 to provide one or more previously captured first and/or second sensing datasets to the processor 90. Database 98 can be as simple as a memory device holding raw data or formatted files, or database 98 can be a complex relational database. Depending on the embodiment, none, one, or multiple databases 98 and/or sensing data capture devices 96 may be coupled to the data input 94. The sensing data capture device 96 may be coupled to the data input 94 by a wired connection, an optical connection, or by a wireless connection. Suitable examples of wireless connections may include, but are not limited to, RF connections using an 802.11x protocol or the Bluetooth® protocol. Furthermore, in embodiments having a database 98, the processor 90 may be coupled to the database 98 for storing results or accessing data by bypassing the data input 94.
The system 88 also has a user interface 100 which may be coupled to either the processor 90 and/or the data input 94. As one example, the user interface 100 can be configured to display a first and/or second sensing dataset, an object of interest, a first and/or second statistic attributed to a target vegetation based on a distance of one or more points of the target vegetation in the first and/or second sensing datasets, respectively, relative to the object of interest, and an estimated future vegetation growth relative to the object of interest. The user interface 100 may also be configured to allow a user to select a first and/or second sensing dataset from a database 98 coupled to the data input 94, or to start and stop collecting data from a sensing data capture device 96 which is coupled to the data input 94.
As described above, with regard to
Having thus described several embodiments of a method and system for estimating vegetation growth relative to an object of interest, it will be rather apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing detailed disclosure is intended to be presented by way of example only, and is not limiting. Various alterations, improvements, and modifications will occur and are intended to those skilled in the art, though not expressly stated herein. These alterations, improvements, and modifications are intended to be suggested hereby, and are within the spirit and the scope of the claimed invention. For example, after carrying out the embodied methods and their equivalents, multiple LiDAR datasets will have been collected, for example one every year. From the resultant determinations of relative growth rates between different datasets, we can analyze the fluctuation of the relative growth rates as a function of different predictors, like rainfall and incurred heat sum, which may produce even better prediction capability.
Additionally, the recited order of the processing elements or sequences, or the use of numbers, letters, or other designations therefore, is not intended to limit the claimed processes to any order except as may be specified in the claims. Accordingly, the claimed invention is limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereto.
Rousselle, Adam Robert, Clymer, Hugh Andrew, Leppanen, Vesa Johannes, DeJong, Alan John, Cormican, Brian James
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